RETRIAL OF BOSNIA WAR CRIMES SUSPECT POSTPONED

SPLIT, Sept 27 (Hina) - The retrial of Mirko Graorac for war crimes committed in Bosnia-Herzegovina has been postponed until the Croatian Supreme Court reaches a decision on Graorac's attorney's request for the exemption of the president and judges of the Split County Court. The Split County Court on 22 April, 1996 sentenced 47-year-old Graorac to 20 years in prison for war crimes committed against prisoners of war and civilians in the Manjaca camp in Bosnia- Herzegovina between 17 June and the end of September 1992 when he served as Bosnian Serb entity guard police commander. The Croatian Supreme Court accepted Graorac's appeal and returned the case for retrial, claiming the court had made an "incomplete establishment of the facts." According to the verdict, some prisoners at Manjaca were Croatian Army members, which the Supreme Court evaluated "could have far-reaching consequences." Graorac's court-appointed attorney Nenad Boban said at today's first retrial hearing that his client was in prison illegally, namely without the state attorney's ruling. Boban also asserted the witness who at the investigative hearing recognised the defendant later admitted he had been shown a photograph of the defendant prior to his testimony to the police. Judge Spomenka Tonkovic interrupted the retrial saying it would resume once the Supreme Court had reached a decision on the exemption request. If it is turned down, the retrial will resume at the Split County Court, whereas in the contrary another court will be selected to retry Graorac. The defendant's imprisonment has been extended. As the first time around, the retrial was followed by representatives of UN's Human Rights Centre, Amnesty International, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Croatian Legal Centre, and several other human rights associations. (hina) ha jn